Then Maddox howled, pushing forward, not believing it either.
But there was no sound, no breath. Just blood.
“No,” I said, pain tore straight through my chest.
I didn’t raise my voice. Didn’t snarl. Didn’t shift.
Just no.
I pressed harder against her wounds like pressure alone could restart a heart.
“Don’t,” I said again. “Don’t do this.”
The helicopter dipped as we touched down, skids slamming onto the roof of the hospital. The doors were already opening before we fully stopped.
“Code blue!” someone shouted.
Hands were on her instantly.
Too many.
They pulled me back.
I didn’t fight them.
That was the part that scared me later.
In any other moment, I would have ripped throats out for touching her. Now I stepped back because the woman in front of me had command in her eyes and
